BigE

March 1, 2013 12:44 pm But Gabe, don't you think it'd be a great idea to have those comics around for your son? My wife and I are expecting our first, and I plan on letting the little bugger go through my books. Of course, I will have separated out the "Scalped" and "Locke & Key" issues until I think he/she is ready for them. In fact, I've even added 'all ages' titles to my pull list just so that he/she will have something to read early on.

January 18, 2013 8:38 pm Congratulations, Ron and Paul. You've earned it.

March 23, 2012 9:46 am He totally called Ron "John" at the end of the interview, didn't he?

January 18, 2012 1:28 pm I worked retail for years, both part-time and as my first career, and there's a simple truth when it comes to working in a shop: it's not enough to love the product you sell -- you have to love people. If you fancy yourself an "expert" on what you sell, but you're not a people person, you're going to be miserable working retail, whether it be in a clothing store in a mall or an LCS. And what's worse, you're going to make potential lifetime customers miserable as well. There are a number of great shops here in Chicago, but as far as the best model for what an LCS is capable of, Challengers Comics + Collectibles gets it. Clean, Comfy chairs, tons of collected editions, friendly, professionally attired staffmembers, tons of programs for kids...and more. But as far as comics piracy goes, I look at it like I did music piracy. Sure, local record shops were/are guilty of the same kind of snobbery that Ryan describes above. But for me, who considered himself a music snob and didn't mind going in these shops, Napster and Limewire provided one distinct advantage: price. And for a college student with questionable morals, this was what ultimately swayed me toward piracy. I'm not proud of it, but it's true.

July 18, 2011 11:56 am Bought it for the Jeff Smith variant as well. Love it.

July 18, 2011 11:56 am Bought it for the Jeff Smith variant as well. Love it.

May 18, 2011 10:20 am @MisterShaw  Way to kick a city while it's down. Thanks for the insightful contribution to the discussion.

May 18, 2011 10:19 am @flakbait  Way to kick a city while it's down. Thanks for the insightful contribution to the discussion.

March 14, 2011 1:30 pm Can't wait!  I'll be there!

February 22, 2011 5:00 pm ...and Hope Larson & Brian Lee O'Malley!